I will try to keep this short if i can.

many years ago when i was about 10 my step father was a telephone installer for the PMG. T his is an Australian thing but it stands for Post Master General. it was the government bodu for postal services and telephone/telegraph services. 

not rlelevant on a tangent already...lol

He had to crawl under houses to retro fit telephone wires etc.  one day he came home with a guitar. It was a homemade thing and he made a wallhanging out of it by painting the back. not a good painting..lol

4 years later i inherit it when parents split and he went back to England. 

i sanded it down and strung it with nylon strings because it had a classical style bridge. it had had steel strings on it and warped the top. i sanded the bridge to compensate staines it a red cedar type colour and did a poly finish... remember i was only 14. 

i played that guitar for over 25 years on and off i loved it. .

so basically i want to recreate it. smaller body and a narrow neck 46 ish mm would be good under the 1"7/8 freedom unit mark.  and a scale of 615mm or around 24.2" 

without buying a new guitar can i put nylon strings on a steel string guitar ? do i need to chanbe the bridge first?  do i just build myself a stick in a box 6 string with nylon strings? looking for the options and short commings of this idea? could i get a cheap second hand classical guitar and reshape the neck to a bit narrower? i would possibly have to replace the fingerboard with one say 16" radius?

i think the cheapest crossover guitar i can buy in Australia is over $700 AUD.

the whole point is to be able to quietly play at night and not wake the missus up! plus the nostalgia for a guitar i lost 24 years ago.

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  • bit more info on this little beast. Its a VC204H.

    so it a full size, 650mm scale with a 45mm nut width.

    Body seems small? well its no dreadnaught! but seesm a bit smaller than the yamaha classical CM40.

    a bit trebbly as you would expect but i have been noodeling on it for 3 nights now and no complaints to shutup or close my door!! lol

    i swapped it for the yamaha while she was out and she hasnt noticed the difference...lol.....

    Anyone in brisbane want a yamaha classical cheap?  might pop it on gumtree or ebay. maybe FB marketplace.

  • https://www.mooloolabamusic.com.au/valencia-vc204h-thin-neck-full-s...

    well cant build anything for this little! 

    was up in Moolooba for work so droped into the local guitar/music store and $119 AUD i picked up this little guitar. 

    valencia-vc204h-44-full-size-hybrid-classical-nylon-string-guitar.jpg

    • Hi Timm, great stuff, just what the doctor ordered.
      Taff

  • 12403096868?profile=RESIZE_710x

  • Hi Tim, as you are in Australia I may be able to help [he says jokingly]. If only you lived closer.
    I have done a few neck conversions over the years, even made 6-string necks narrow to suit 3-string CBGs.12401745900?profile=RESIZE_710x 12401746864?profile=RESIZE_710x 12401746289?profile=RESIZE_710x 12401746672?profile=RESIZE_710x 12401747666?profile=RESIZE_710x

    Brian Q’s comment made me think, why not string up a steel string with nylon strings, fit an external piezo bug to the face, fill the guitar with a towel, plug into a small amp, acoustic with headphone out facility if possible, and wear headphones. However, the towel may negate the need for pickup and amp.
    Cheers Taff

    • Taff im just down the road in brissie...lol 

      Part of the reason was to play a nylon string gently, a big part of the reason is i miss the guitar i had as a 14 year old... nostalgia.  I have a Fender Mustang micro headphone amp. so if only quiet was the reason i would just use that on my Tele... %3Ca%20rel%3Dnofollow%20href=https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/ZoomJpg/10001/2311300000_fen_amp..." alt="Gallery image 1 of 17"/>

      got all sorts of amp and effect emulation but uses wired headphones. will take bluetooth in so i can play a song and play along with it. 

      just an old mans dream of his youth...lol 

  • Seems to me like you would want to stay away from any acoustic instruments if you were trying to be quiet, right? 

  • Hi Tim,

    Late to the party but the dimensions you describe are close to a 7/8 sized classical. Several here to check out the specs of

    https://www.thomann.de/gb/search_dir.html?smcs=1f3d44_3663&a...

    Not sure how common they are in your country though?

    Link not opening so try cut and pasting https://www.thomann.de/gb/search_dir.html?smcs=1f3d44_3663&oa=p...
    • Thanks but these still have a flat fingerboard and a 48mm nut width. yes it is down from 51mm on my yamaha classical. The prices look fine but shipping to Australia is going to cost way more than the guitar! not worth it.

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